How to Create a Likable Character
Decide on the basics, such as name, age, hair colour, eye colour, skin colour etc., Give them a bit of personality., Develop plot line techniques; i.e what happens to them in your story., Give your character some background.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide on the basics
This step is important as how readers imagine the characters to look can sometimes increase the character's popularity.
We root for a pink-haired small girl who people bully because she's different.
Are they attractive, cute, or child-like? Perhaps comical-looking? Decide on a specific look for your chosen character. -
Step 2: such as name
To make a character likable there are many personality traits you could choose from: sweet, funny, sarcastic, trouble-making, brave.
All of those can be twisted to make a likable character.
The likable personality traits are obvious: sweet, caring, kind.
But sarcastic and trouble-making can make for a very likable character, especially if your other characters adhere to the rules or are part of a world where such behavior is unsightly.
Remember, your character won't appeal to every reader, but so long as there are elements which the reader can empathize or sympathize with they will stick by them until the end of the story. , Try creating a funny character who has something tragic happen to them.
This generates a lot more sympathy for the character so it comes as a bigger shock if they die etc.
Another technique is a dumb villain; i.e. villain thinks he's an evil genius when in reality he messes up constantly, giving the character a vulnerable element.
Another approach is making your character either cute or child-like throughout the story, i.e constant damsel in distress, but suddenly they could become brave and show some backbone.
There are several avenues you can take; it all begins with your initial character.
It's more difficult to make a villain likable than the hero, but with a background we may sympathize with, we can learn to at least understand the villain.
This leads on to the next step. , So, you've got your good-looking character called Ziggy who is idiotic and claims to be an evil genius, but in the story messes up all of his evil plans.
This makes a likable character.
Of course this is a more clichéd approach to it
- if you want a realistic character you should take a more three-dimensional approach.
Instead of Ziggy being arrogant and thinking he's brilliant and super evil, there could be a reason behind his evil ways.
Abandoned as a child? Never knew how to love? Adding background like this can add yet more likability to your character. -
Step 3: hair colour
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Step 4: eye colour
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Step 5: skin colour etc.
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Step 6: Give them a bit of personality.
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Step 7: Develop plot line techniques; i.e what happens to them in your story.
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Step 8: Give your character some background.
Detailed Guide
This step is important as how readers imagine the characters to look can sometimes increase the character's popularity.
We root for a pink-haired small girl who people bully because she's different.
Are they attractive, cute, or child-like? Perhaps comical-looking? Decide on a specific look for your chosen character.
To make a character likable there are many personality traits you could choose from: sweet, funny, sarcastic, trouble-making, brave.
All of those can be twisted to make a likable character.
The likable personality traits are obvious: sweet, caring, kind.
But sarcastic and trouble-making can make for a very likable character, especially if your other characters adhere to the rules or are part of a world where such behavior is unsightly.
Remember, your character won't appeal to every reader, but so long as there are elements which the reader can empathize or sympathize with they will stick by them until the end of the story. , Try creating a funny character who has something tragic happen to them.
This generates a lot more sympathy for the character so it comes as a bigger shock if they die etc.
Another technique is a dumb villain; i.e. villain thinks he's an evil genius when in reality he messes up constantly, giving the character a vulnerable element.
Another approach is making your character either cute or child-like throughout the story, i.e constant damsel in distress, but suddenly they could become brave and show some backbone.
There are several avenues you can take; it all begins with your initial character.
It's more difficult to make a villain likable than the hero, but with a background we may sympathize with, we can learn to at least understand the villain.
This leads on to the next step. , So, you've got your good-looking character called Ziggy who is idiotic and claims to be an evil genius, but in the story messes up all of his evil plans.
This makes a likable character.
Of course this is a more clichéd approach to it
- if you want a realistic character you should take a more three-dimensional approach.
Instead of Ziggy being arrogant and thinking he's brilliant and super evil, there could be a reason behind his evil ways.
Abandoned as a child? Never knew how to love? Adding background like this can add yet more likability to your character.
About the Author
Heather Sanders
Committed to making pet care accessible and understandable for everyone.
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